While both publisher Sony Computer Entertainment and developer Climax have opened official teaser websites for their action RPG Tenchi no Mon since last year, only this week Sony Computer Entertainment opened the official website of the PlayStation Portable title to the public.

Once upon a time, there used to be a world with nine continents. The continent located at this world's center featured a strangely-shaped divination stone. For years it was governed by five different martial arts groups, however 300 years before Tenchi no Mon's story begins, an invasion by a faction from a southern continent took place. The invading armies brought with them a grotesque weapon, but at the end of the conflict, the five martial arts groups succeeded in sealing this weapon in the divination stone. Since then people lived in the expectation that the peaceful times would continue forever.

In the game, players will take control of 17-year old Shinpu. Originally the the young man was a member of the eastern martial arts faction, but because he went to see the Secret Tomb, he was expelled by the group. Nonetheless, he has not given up on his dream to become a master of martial arts. Earning his living as an escort guard for travellers, he continues to hone his skills with the sword. After meeting Suirin, the game's heroine, he embarks on a journey to master a very special sword skill. Suirin is the last survivor of the original eastern martial arts faction, making her the obvious choice to take the position of its leader after the faction's revival. However for a certain reason, she refuses to take the position and begins to worry more and more about Shinpu.

As he travels through Tenchi no Mon's world, Shinpu will collect more than 150 different kinds of Sword Sheets, which allow the martial arts fighter to use certain techniques. By combining these sword techniques, he will gain access to chain attacks. Another option to attack enemies in the game are deathblow techniques comparable to magic spells. If the player finds out the elemental weakness of an enemy, he can exploit it by using the corresponding deathblow technique to deal a massive amount of damage to his foe.

Tenchi no Mon will be available in Japan sometime this year.

• Official Tenchi no Mon Website